Improvement in glass molds and presses



w. c. KING.

Glass Molds and Presses. 910.157,61). Pateptd Dec. 8,1874.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM c. xINe, AOE UNION TOWNSHIP, (rITTsBUnc, I .O., ALLEe1IENr4 PATENT OEEIOE.

COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT |N GLASS MoLDs AND PRESSES.

Spectication forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,611, dated December 8, 1874; application filed November 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. KING, of Union township, (Pittsburg, P. 0.,) county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Glass Molds and Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawing making a part of this specification, in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a vertical cross-section of a portion of a glass-press through the axial line of the mold and plunger, and having my invention applied thereto by attachment to the bedplate. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a mold, showing my improvement attached directly thereto instead of to the bed-plate.

A difficulty heretofore experienced in the molding of hollow pressed glassware, such as tumblers, graduated glasses or measures, and the like, has been that any excess of material deposited in the mold by theworkman, over and above what might be required, went into and thickened up the bottoms of such varticles, and, by limiting the downward stroke of the plunger, lessened by so much the capacity of the article made.

The principal object of my invention is' to remedy this defect, and so make hollow pressed articles of glassware of uniform capacity as may be desired; and to this end it consists, rst, in the combination, with a mold, of a movable bottom held up against the pressure of the plunger by a spring or elastic cushion 5 second, in the combination therewith of a catch, designed to lock the spring when compressed; and third, in the combination therewith of other co-operative devices, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings, A represents a portion of the standards of a table or bed-plate, B, which is supported by suitable legs. D is the plunger 5 E, the mold; F, its ring-plate, and Gr the base-plate, commonly used to center the mold upon the table, all being (except as hereinafter described) of ordinary and well-known construction.

" The mold is made with a movable bottom,

h, forming an element in my invention. As

represented, it is provided with an annular 2. -In Fig. l this iiange has its play in an an-' nular recess formed in the base-plate G, and

limits the upward movement of the movable bottom by coming in contact with the under side of the mold. The end Or extension h2 of the movable bottom passes down until it is about even with the upper face of' the bedplate, Or it may extend into a corresponding opening in the bed-plate B; but in either case it rests upon a vertically-moving piston or stein, i. Said piston or stem is constructed with a iiange, 7c, beveled upon the upper side, and it may also be provided with an annular Iiangej, Or other equivalent projection or stop, just above the beveled iiange 7c, which, when the piston is in the position shown in` Fig. l, will, by means of a spring pressure, rest against the under side of table B, and therebyA 1limit the upward movement of the piston. The upper end of a coiled or spiral spring, l, around said piston-rod, rests upon the iiat underside of ange lo, and its lower end upon a threaded nut, m, by the adjustment of which the force exerted by the spring may be varied at pleasure. Said piston and its coiled spring are i11- closed in a box, n, secured to table B in any convenient manner. o represents a sliding catch, beveled upon its under side, as shown, and fitted with a shank having a coiled spring', r, thereon. rlhe beveled catch works through an opening in box n. having any suitable projecting lips or rest forthe same, and the tendency of spring r is to press said beveled catch against the beveled surface of flange 7c. spring, however, has not sufficient strength to cause the beveled catch to depress the piston, but when said piston has been pushed down by the operation of the movable bottom h, as hereinafter described, the catch will slide along said liange toward the piston-rod, and securely hold the saine in a depressed position until released by the workman.

In the modification shown at Fig.. 2 of the drawing, I have dispensed with the ordinary base-plate G, and shown the box n tted directly to the under side of the mold, instead This ,of tothe under side of the table.

Instead of making the movable bottom and piston in separate parts, I prefer, when used as represented in Fig. 2, to cast them in one piece, or otherwise connect the same, as shown, the operation in both instances being the same.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the adjudged proper quantity of molten material has been placed in the mold, and a downward stroke given to the plunger, it often happens that there is some excess of such molten material in the mold. When such is the case `the movable bottom will lyield slightly with the quantity of said excess, and thereby allow the excess to fill up that space which the movable bottom previously occupied in the lower part of the mold. By this means it is evident that the capacities ofthe articles of molded glassware which are being made will be uniform, which is an essential feature in gradl uated glasses or measures, and any suitable stop may be provided to limit the downward stroke of the plunger at the proper point. The movablev bottom, in its downward motion, depresses the piston and compresses the spring, and as the said piston is depressed the beveled spring-catch slides along the beveled surface of the iiange on the piston until the downward movement ceases, when said spring-catch will securely hold the piston in such position. When it is desired to release the piston, in order that the movable bottom shall be pushed upward into its original position, said spring-catch may be drawn out, and then the coiled spring around the pistonrod will'cause it to rise, and the operation is repeated. rIhe movable bottom may occupy any desired part of the area of the bottom of the mold, though, as it is usual to make the bottom faces of such articles of glassware concave, I deem it better, in most cases, to make only that part movable which ordinarily forms such concavity or recess. The article of glassware so made then has the same height, and the excess of material merely lessens the size of the concavity referred to. But such parts of the bottom may be made movable as will allow the downtlow of the excess of materialI in such form that it may be broken or ground off, if so preferred. It will also be observed that the nut m is adjustable, so that the tension or elastic force exerted by the springl can be regulated so that it will not yield or be compressed materially until the plunger has caused the molten glass to ow up so as to form the sides and mouth of the article to be made. When the devices described are used,

as in Fig. l, on a press designed for the manufacture of different articles of glassware, requiring different degrees of pressure to form them, the spring is also adjusted in like manner with reference to such pressure. Also, the power of the spring may be varied in like manner, according as the glass is more or less fluid when put into the mold. The form or Vkind. of spring is not material, and any snitable yielding elastic cushion may take its place.

The devices described are applicable to any -form of press with a fixed or movable table, and be pressed down to a distance varying.

and are also of especial value in that class of c presses in which the plunger is operated by machinery with a fixed. length of stroke. The arrangement of the devices described may be considerably varied without a substantial departure from the scope of my invention, and particularly the spring l may be made to bear directly on the movable bottom, or indirectly through the interposition of the various other devices, some of which are shown in the drawings. Also, the catch o may be operated by a weight or lever, or other equivalent device, with reference to the end in view.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combination with a glass-mold, a movable bottom and a spring or cushion acting directly or indirectly against such movable bottom, and yielding to the force of the pressure of the plunger, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the movable bottom of a glass-mold and its stem or piston, a flange, la, on such stem or piston, and a catch, o, interlocking therewith, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth. 3. In combination with a glass-mold having a movable bottom, a spring or cushion, arranged in connection therewith so as to yield to the pressure of the plunger, and an adjustable nut for regulating the power. of the spring, substantially as set forth.

v4:. In combination with the fixed or movable bed-plate or table of a glass-press, a piston and spring arranged therein, so as to be cooperative with the movable bottom of a glassmold arranged thereon, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM (l. KING.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM WHITE, UHAs. G. PAGE. 

